


Cocoa and Sympathy

by Flynne



Series: Garviel Shepard [5]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Garviel Shepard, Gen, Hannah is best mama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 14:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15002942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flynne/pseuds/Flynne
Summary: Although Hannah formally adopted Garv just a handful of weeks ago, it doesn't take long for her to find that he's already become a part of her mother's intuition.





	Cocoa and Sympathy

It wasn’t so much a sound or disturbance that pulled Hannah from sleep - it was just a feeling, a tug at her awareness that she hadn’t felt since Akil was young. She glanced at the clock: just after 0430. Years of commanding a starship had made her a habitually early riser, but this was early even for her. She climbed out of bed, pulled her fuzzy robe on over her pajamas, then opened her door.

The apartment was dark and quiet. She stepped softly to stand in front of the door across the hall, lightly resting her hand on the knob while she leaned close, listening. Not a sound…but the feeling that had awakened her wouldn’t let her return to bed. She turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

Garviel didn’t move when she entered. He lay stretched out on his back and appeared to be sleeping soundly, but as she moved to stand beside the bed, she could see that it wasn’t the restful stillness of sleep. His muscles were pulled taut and his jaw was clenched as his eyes flickered back and forth beneath his eyelids.

Hannah sighed sadly before reaching out to gently rest her hand on Garv’s shoulder. She watched him in concern as she waited for a response. Akil had told her how to awaken his newly adopted brother before he’d left to resume his N7 duties, but she’d seen soldiers come out of nightmares before and she kept a careful eye on him in case she needed to move away quickly.

It wasn’t necessary. Garv woke just how Akil had told her he would: a quick intake of breath swiftly choked off, eyes blinking open to stare in blind terror at the ceiling before clouding in confusion. The bewildered expression on his face when he saw her made her heart ache, but she did her best to give him a reassuring smile. “Hello, sweetheart.”

Garv sat up in bed and made a visible effort to gather himself before speaking, voice rough and burred from sleep. “Hannah? I didn’t…did I wake you up?”

“No. I just came in to check on you.” She gave his shoulder a little pat. “I’m glad I did.”

Garv just nodded in reply. He let his gaze fall to his lap, where his fingers slowly folded and smoothed the edge of his blanket in a repetitive motion. His breathing had slowed and he already seemed calm, but Hannah didn’t feel right leaving him alone.

She moved over to the small bureau in the corner of the room to get a clean t-shirt to replace the sweat-dampened one he was wearing, and set it on the quilt beside him. “Go on and change, then meet me in the kitchen.” She left before giving him a chance to question her, knowing that once she was gone, he’d comply.

She took her time getting cocoa-making supplies from the cabinets, but even so, the milk was beginning to steam on the stove by the time Garv made his appearance. Hannah added cocoa and sugar, smiling at him over her shoulder. “Cocoa will be ready soon. Would you mind getting some mugs?”

Garv still looked confused, but moved to obey. He set the mugs on the counter beside her, watching her stir the pot. “Why are you…? I mean, I don’t need…” He trailed off, not wanting to sound ungrateful, then lightened his tone and tried again. “It’s a little early for breakfast, isn’t it?”

“I thought you might want company,” Hannah said gently. “If I was wrong, you can tell me.”

Garv didn’t answer right away. “No…it’s okay,” he said at last.

“All right, then,” she said, relieved that she hadn’t inadvertently made things worse. “It’ll be just a few more minutes.”  Garv watched her in silence as she finished heating the cocoa and poured it into the mugs. Hannah deliberately stepped past him on the way to the main living area, seating herself in the corner of the couch and leaving Garv’s options open for where he wanted to sit. She was inexpressibly glad when he chose to sit next to her, but kept her smile to herself.

She sat and sipped her cocoa in silence. If Garv wanted to talk, he would. If not, she was content just to sit with him so he wouldn’t be alone with his thoughts. He didn’t say anything for a while - didn’t even look over at her, keeping his gaze on his slowly emptying mug - but eventually his forehead creased in a thoughtful little frown and he asked, “If I didn’t wake you up, why were you checking on me?”

“Akil told me I should,” she replied. “He told me that you don’t often wake if you’re having a nightmare, and you might need someone to help you wake up.”  _He doesn’t make a sound, Mama,_  Akil had told her.  _He doesn’t move. Even when I’m sleeping in the same room, most of the time I don’t know he’s had a nightmare unless he wakes me afterwards. So if you could just look in on him from time to time, make sure he’s all right…_  “Tonight isn’t the first time I’ve checked on you while you were sleeping,” she confessed. “It’s just the first time I’ve woken you.” She gave him a fond look. “It’s also the first time I’ve woken up and known that I needed to. So I suppose it was mother’s intuition.” Her words had the intended effect: the shy little smile that she had rapidly grown to love chased some of the strain and sadness from his face.

She chose to take it as an invitation and lifted her arm to wrap it around his shoulders, feeling a warm rush of gladness as Garv leaned into her, shifting his considerably taller and heavier frame so he could rest his head against her shoulder. Long minutes passed before he said, very quietly, “I miss Tarik.”

Hannah hugged him a little closer, eyes prickling as the image of her sons’ big, loud, irrepressible, fiercely devoted friend swam into her memory. “I know, sweetheart. So do I.”

“He saved my life,” Garv said, speaking in the same soft, dreamlike tone. “We were in a gang, back on Earth…did Akil ever tell you that?”

In spite of her surprise at the revelation, Hannah kept her voice level and quiet. “No, he didn’t. I don’t think he thought it mattered. All I knew was that the two of you didn’t have family.”

“Well…we were. In a gang, I mean. I got in trouble, and Tarik helped me. He got us both out. I was too young to enlist in the Alliance but because of him, Captain Anderson gave me a chance. I wouldn’t’ve made it otherwise. He’s always looked out for me, but…” His voice didn’t shake, but he broke off abruptly and it was several long seconds before he could continue. “…I couldn’t save him.”

_That_ , Hannah did know. Akil had called Tarik  _brother_ , too, and during the long days of Garv’s recovery, he had recounted to her what Garv had told him about the thresher maw attack: how Tarik had shielded Garv from the worst of the creature’s acid spray, how Garv had carried his mortally wounded friend to safety despite grievous injuries of his own, and how he had been trapped for days beneath a rockslide with Tarik’s body until Akil’s search-and-recovery team had found them.

Hannah sighed sadly. “I’m sorry.” In spite of the circumstances, she couldn’t help but feel relief that there was no guilt in his voice. It would be a long time before grief and the ache of loss eased, but at least Garv didn’t seem to be blaming himself for Tarik’s death. One less hurdle he’d have to overcome.

“Did Akil ever tell you,” Garv said slowly, “about the bacon incident?”

Her brow furrowed, both from surprise at the abrupt change in conversation, and in perplexity as she tried to remember. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Then he didn’t tell you. You’d remember this one. That was when we had to make the ‘always wear pants in the kitchen’ rule.”

A wistful smile brightened her face as Garv began telling her stories about Tarik; some she’d heard, some she hadn’t. As she listened, her hand drifted up to the back of his head, fingers ruffling absently through his hair. One memory led to another, and by the time his increasingly sleepy-sounding voice trailed off into silence, it was nearly six o’clock. He was quiet for so long that Hannah wondered if he’d fallen asleep, but then he nudged his head against her and murmured, “Thanks for listening.”

“I’m glad to. Anytime,” she replied in the same tone. “Do you want to try and sleep a little while longer?” He nodded against her shoulder. She kissed his temple before letting him go and rising to her feet, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch to cover him as he stretched out on the cushions. “Your hair’s getting a little long,” she said, brushing her hand over his head one last time. “I can cut it for you later if you like.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said with a sigh. “G’night, Mom.”

Technically, it was already morning, but Hannah wasn’t going to quibble over details. She smiled down at him and tucked the blanket more securely into place. “Good night, son.”


End file.
